MANDELA WASHINGTONFELLOWSHIP FORYOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS

2016 Business and Entrepreneurship InstituteVirginia Commonwealth University, School of Business

June 27, 2016

Designing a way to engage more effectively with other leaders in my community.

“INNOVATION CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER AND CREATING VALUE BY IMPLEMENTING NEW IDEAS.”

Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company CEO

“THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS A RIGHT ANSWER IS TO REFRAME THE QUESTION”

Tom Kelley, General Manager, IDEO

THE DESIGN THINKING PROCESS

IDEO, one organization responsible for the growing popularity of “Design Thinking,” describes it as a “human-centered approach to problem solving that helps people and organizations become more innovative and creative.”

OVERVIEW & ACTIVITIES

Overview

Henry Ford Learning Institute collaborated with Virginia Commonwealth University to provide VCU’s 2016 Nelson Mandela Fellows with a 4-hour Design Thinking workshop that included an immersive introduction to the purpose, potential and essential elements of this creative problem solving process. Using the challenge “Design a way to engage more effectively with other leaders in my community,” fellows used HFLI’s Quick Dive Design Thinking framework to identify a current problem in this space, envision possible solutions and plan toward implementing an effective option.

Activities

Learning activities incorporated a balance of focused discussion, active process experience and implementation, and reflection on application. The Quick Dive Design Thinking Challenge guides participants through the Design Thinking process, but uses lean innovation strategies to develop action-oriented items such as a timeline, potential support needs, and operational benefits and challenges.

In summary, participants:

•Took part in a problem-reframing session that helped develop their Design Thinking Challenge Question: How might we engage more effectively with other leaders in my community?

•Collaboratively developed a word-web through which they brainstormed multiple users and their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to the Design Thinking Challenge Question.

•Developed a Character Profile that represented one specific user involved in the Design Thinking Challenge Question.

•Brainstormed Needs and Insights for at least one specific user.

•Developed User-Need-Insight statements and used those to create a series of How-Might-We questions.

•Brainstormed ideas that would address the needs and insights outlined in their Point-of-View statement, then translated at least one of those ideas into a low-resolution paper prototype.

•Received feedback on their prototypes from other participants and used that information to iterate further on their ideas.

NEXT STEPS

HFLI recommends the following next steps as Fellows continue to think about the Design Thinking process for tackling complex challenges::

HFLI recommends the following next steps as Fellows continue to think about the Design Thinking process for tackling complex challenges:

•Document your use of the Design Thinking process and share your thoughts with @HFLI on Twitter!

•Share your prototype with colleagues and peers, and use that feedback to iterate further on the developing prototype.

•Think about the potential for using Design Thinking in your current and future projects by asking yourself any of the following questions:

-What is a first step you can take to implement your prototype or elements of it?

-What is a first step your organization can take to implement your prototype or elements of it?

-What is a Design Thinking tool or strategy you plan to implement as soon as possible? -How might you support others using Design Thinking in their work or lives?

HFLI’s work with adult professionals to build competencies and practices that evidence design thinking as a central component of any person’s essential toolkit and any organization’s core operational framework centers on four strands of intervention. While the strands are listed separately, they are regularly combined to form a cohesive and comprehensive approach to building skills and comfort with innovative thinking and creative problem solving.

Strategic business development – support organizational leaders with learning experiences, new tools and adaptive strategies to design and implement a human-centered approach to new challenges and uncovered opportunities;

Administrative/operational leadership – build competencies in design thinking that enhance team efforts to implement responsive and effective solutions;

Program design and development – create customized immersive professional growth and development programs that build competencies in design thinking tools and skills for identified staff members or constituencies; and,

Program delivery – facilitate immersive learning experiences and provide ongoing implementation coaching to individuals and organizations seeking to embed design thinking into their daily work or program efforts.

Redesigning how we learn.

Founded in 2003 by The Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company Fund, HFLI started by developing a network of Henry Ford Academies, small urban K-12 schools that engage a wide range of community partners to prepare students to succeed in college, pursue a career of choice and address challenges with innovative thinking.